Method of stuffing pads



' July '14, 1936. Q Y 2,047,214

METHOD OF STUFFING PADS Filed April 12, 1933 3 Sheets-Sheet l J'ZW m Q T JANE/WW? July 14, 1936. MCJOYNT METHOD OF STUFFING PADS Filed April 12, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 July 14, 1936.

T. L. M JOYNT METHOD OF STUFFING PADS Filed April 12-4935 3 fiheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 14, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF *STUFFING PADS Thomas L. McJoynt, Janesville, Wis.

Application April 12, 1933, Serial No. 665,735

10 Claims. (01. 226-43) My invention relates generally to an improved method of pad pufiing. One object of the invention is to provide a method whereby the quantity of stuifing to be put in pads is automatically measured; another is a particular arrangement of trackage and auxiliary machinery whereby the feeding of pads to the stuffing machine is accelerated.

To more fully understand my method, attention is directed to the drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a pad loading mechanism; 1

Fig. 2 is a side plan view of the said pad loading mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the pad loading mechanism and pad conveyor, partially in plan and partially in section;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view disclosing means for locking the pad within a loading mold;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view disclosing means for adjustment of the mold;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of a portion of the mold disclosing means for hinging the cover thereon, details of the rear end of said mold and other details;

Fig. '7 is a longitudinal plan view of the carrier frame on which the molds are fed to the stuflin mechanism;

Fig. 8. is a top plan view of a pad mold.

Fig. 9 is a front plan view of a mold disclosing a filled pad therein and indicates the disposal of the metal tubes that were removed from the sleeves in the filling operation.

Fig. 10 is a top fragmentary plan view of a mold with an unfilled pad mounted therein, disclosing the flared ends of the filling tubes extending from the open end of the sleeves in the pad.

In the drawings the numeral I0 is used to designate a hopper from which stufiing is drawn into a blast fan II and from thence blown into shoots l2 and I3 alternately.

A valve l4 having its axis at l5 controls the fiow of material from one shoot to the other by manual adjustment by the operators so that the operation of pad stufling is carried on continuously, there being no necessity of shutting off the blast ofv stuifing while the operator changes the nozzle from one section-of a pad to another.

Thenumerals l6 and l! are used to designate 'nozzles', the larger ends of which are hinged to the open ends of shoots l2 and I3, the hinges being so positioned as to permit of vertical movement by eachof the said nozzles. The nozzles are reduced throughout a portion of their length,

said reduction extending from approximately one-half the distance between the ends to the outer exhaust end thereof, the said reduced portion being semi-elliptical in cross section, thus the exhaust orifice is semi-elliptical in contour. 5

An emergency exhaust is positioned between the fan II and the valve 14 so that when, for some reason or other, it is necessary to shut off both filling nozzles, an auxiliary means is afforded of diverting the stufl'ing as it comes from 10 the blower. This auxiliary exhaust may be connected back to the hopper so that in the interim of total shut-off of the nozzles, the stuffing will not be packed up back of the main valve. The auxiliary exhaust is also controlled by either of 15 the two nozzle operators by means of arope or a lever.

A track frame, on which are mounted parallel spaced tracks 20 and 2|, is positioned in front of the nozzles. The said tracks are so spaced as to 20 permit the alignment of pad molds with the exhaust orifices of the staggered parallel nozzles, one of said nozzles being positioned to fill pads in molds riding on one track and the other on the other track. 25

In order to facilitate the travel of the molds along the tracks, wheels 26 are provided, the said wheels being fixed to the bottom of mold.

The mold per se has a solid bottom 21 and a perforated top 28; the said perforated top is 30 usually made of screen wire which is aflixed to a frame 29. The top and bottom members of the said mold are relatively adjustable through the medium of bolts and nuts 30 and adjustable hinge members 3|. The rear end of the said mold is 5 also perforated and is formed of a frame 32 to which a screen 33 is amxed.

It will be clearly seen that through the ad-' justment of the nuts 30 and the adjustable hinges 3i, the space between the top and bottom mem- 40 bers of the said mold may be changed.

Locking members 35 are provided, said locking members being fixed to the hinged top of the said mold. The bottom end is so formed as to cause the top member of the said mold to be 45 locked to the base when the hinged top is in closed position. These locking members are also adjustable so that the lock is operative at any adjustmentof the height of the mold.

The application of my method is as follows:

. Operators at adjacent ends of the tracks load the molds in the following manner:

A pad A having sewed partitions B is laid fiat upon the mold with the open sleeves formed by the sewing of the partitions adjacent the front end of the mold.

Metal tubes C, semi-elliptical in cross section, having an inside diameter that is a little larger than the ends of the nozzles l6 and H are slipped into each of the sections of the pad so that the end of the said sleeve will contact the rear end of the mold, whereupon the pad is ready for stufling.

A loading operator then rolls the mold to a point adjacent one of the nozzles (depending upon which track the said mold is on) and then loads a. mold on the other track. Another filling operator will align tube I with his nozzle; he then grasps the said tube, slips it over the end of the exhaust nozzle and when the operator of the adjacent nozzle completes the filling of his pad, he operates the valve I5 as to divert the flow of stuifing material to the nozzle of the first named filling operator. Immediately the stuffing begins to build up within the pad against the rear perforated end of the mold, the tube is slowly withdrawn therefrom, the speed of withdrawal depending upon the size of the pad to be filled, it being necessary that the operator keep the end of the said tube approximately three inches from the packed stuffing in the pad as to permit air, which is exhausted with the cotton from the nozzle, to escape through the porous side of the pad which is positioned adjacent the perforated top. When the pad is filled, the operator adjusts the valve as to cause the filler material to be blown into the adjacent nozzle, whereupon the operator of the said adjacent nozzle will take up the filling of a pad in a mold mounted on the other track.

It is to be noted that the tube I is now telescoped onto the nozzle and to disengage it therefrom the operator raises the hinged nozzle far enough to permit the tube to clear the top of the mold, slips the tube off the nozzle onto the top of the mold, rolls the car to the adjacent sleeve in the pad, aligns the said tube in the nozzle and is ready to fill that section of the pad.

One operator will stand on one side of one nozzle and the other will stand on the opposite side of the adjacent nozzle. As one operator completes the loading of a pad he diverts the fiow of filling material to the adjacent nozzle which has been aligned with one of the tubes in the pad opening, by the other filling operator, whereupon the first operator divests the nozzle of the tube thereon, loads it on top of the frame and aligns the next section of the pad to be filled.

Thus it can be plainly seen that the operation of pad filling is continuous. One of the operators fills up one section of a pad mounted in a mold on the lower track while the operator of the other nozzle will be divesting that nozzle of a tube and aligning the said nozzle with a tube in the next section of his pad. Irmnediately one of the pads is completely'filled, it is rolled back to the operator who filled it and another mold with a pad in position for filling is rolled to the same nozzle operator by the operator at the opposite end of the track. The loading operator on each end of the tracks loads the molds on both the top and bottom tracks so that as one pad is being filled, the loading operator is loading another mold on the adjacent track. The filling of the pad is started at the number I tube in the drawings and is continued through 2, 3, 4 and 5, whereupon the mold is returned to the operator who filled it. Thus only four operators are required to load and fill pads continuously.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Method of filling the compartments of a multi-section pad comprising preparing a plurality of compartments for filling by placing a filling tube in each extending to a point adjacent the bottom, providing a flowing column of filling material, moving a unit of said compartments and the previously inserted filling tubes in a direction transverse to the advance end of said moving column, with the open ends of said compartments and the ends of the previously inserted filling tubes lying toward said column, bringing the ends of said filling tubes successively into substantial alinement with the advance end of said column, causing the filling material to flow through said filling tubes, discharging adjacent the bottoms of said compartments, gradually withdrawing each tube in telescoped relation to said moving column, as the mass of filling material builds up in said compartment from the bottom.

2. Method of filling the compartments of a multi-section pad comprising preparing a plurality of compartments for filling by placing a filling tube in each, extending from a point adjacent the open end, to a point adjacent the bottom, providing a column of filling material fiowing in selective paths divergent toward difierent filling stations, moving units of the thus prepared compartments transversely to the advance ends of said divergent paths and at the respective filling stations thereof, with the open ends of said compartments lying toward the advance ends of the adjacent paths, bringing the ends of said filling tubes alternately with respect to said units and successively, into substantial alinement with the advance ends of said paths, causing the filling material to fiow through one path and through the filling tube associated therewith, gradually withdrawing said tube in telescoped relation to said flowing column as the mass of filling material builds up in said compartment and diverting the flowing column into the other path when the filling of the last named compartment is completed.

3. Method of filling the compartments of a multi-section pad comprising preparing a plurality of compartments for filling by placing a filling tube in each compartment, providing a fiowing column of filling material moving in selective divergent paths, moving units of the thus previously prepared compartments transversely to the advance ends of said divergent paths with the open ends of said compartments lying toward the advance ends of adjacent paths, bringing the ends of said filling tubes alternately with respect to said units, and successively into substantial alinement with the advance end of said paths, causing the filling material to flow selectively through each filling tube, gradually withdrawing said tubes'in telescoped relation to said column as the mass of filling material builds up in said compartment, and selectively diverting the flowing column into the other path when the filling of the last named compartment is completed and inserting other filling tubes into other compartments in preparation for filling such compartments during the actual filling of the first-named compartments.

4. The method of filling pads of the type having groups of approximately parallel elongated cells formed with inlet ends along the edges of the pads, which method consists in inserting into the cells form giving and. material conducting 75 members and thereafter moving the groups of cells transversely of the longitudinal axes of the individual cells to selectively bring the said form giving and material conducting members and the associated cells into registration with a flowing column of finely divided filling material suspended in air and then causing the deposit of the finely divided filling material in the cells simultaneously with the insertion of other form giving and material conducting members into other cells to be subsequently filled.

5. The method of filling pads which consists in the provision of separate upper and lower lines of travel each of which has spaced pad reparing and filling stations; introducing a plurality of filling tubes into each of the pads at the pad preparing stations and moving the pads thus prepared transversely of the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes along the respective lines thereof to the filling stations; furnishing a fiowingcolumn of finely divided filling material suspended in moving air to the filling tubes of a pad at one filling station to supply that pad with filling material; diverting the flow of such filling material to the filling tubes of the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such filling material in suspension; and conducting the pads along the respective lines of travel thereof after being thus supplied with filling material.

6. The method of filling pads which consists in the provision of separate lines of travel having spaced pad preparing and filling stations; introducing a plurality of filling tubes into each of the pads at thepad preparing stations and moving the pads thus prepared transversely of the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes along the respective lines thereof to the filling stations; furnishing a flowing column of finely divided filling material suspended in moving air to the filling tubes of a pad at one filling station to supply that pad with filling material; diverting the flow of such filling material to the filling tubes of the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such filling material in suspension; conducting the pads along the respective lines of travel thereof after being thus supplied with filling material; and inserting filling tubes into an additional pad simultaneously with the filling of a pad into which filling tubes were previously inserted and later moving such additional pad transversely withrespect to the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes thereof along the respective line of travel thereof up to the respective loading position thereof for the reception of filling material.

7 The method of filling pads of the type having approximately parallel elongated cells for the reception of filling material, which method consists in the provision of separate lines of pad travel having filling stations; inserting filling tubes into the cells of the pads; moving the pads and the newly inserted tubes along the respective lines of travel thereof to the respective filling stations and angularly with respect to the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes; furnishing a flowing column of material suspended in moving air to the previously inserted tubes of one pad to supply that pad with filling material; withdrawing the tubes in consonance with the filling of the pad; diverting the flow of such filling material to the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such material in suspension; and moving the pads away from the filling stations after thus being supplied with filling material.

8. The method of filling pads of the type having approximately parallel elongated cells for the reception of filling material, which method consists in the provision of separate lines of pad travel having filling stations; inserting filling tubes into the cells of the pads; moving the pads and the newly inserted tubes along the respective lines of travel thereof to the respective filling stations and angularly with respect to the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes; furnishing a flowing column of material suspended in' moving air to the previously inserted tubes of one padto supply that pad with filling material; withdrawing the tubes in consonance with the filling of the pad; diverting the flow of such filling material to the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such material in suspension; moving the pads away from the filling stations after thus being supplied with filling material; and inserting filling tubes into additional pads simultaneously with the filling of pads into which tubes were previously inserted and later moving such additional pads angularly of the longitudinal axes of the newly inserted tubes to the respective filling stations thereof for substantially continuous operation and substantially uninterrupted flow of the said column of filling material.

9. The method of filling pads which consists in the provision of separate upper and lower lines of travel having spaced pad preparing and filling stations; introducing a plurality of filling tubes into each of the pads at the pad preparing stations and moving .the pads thus prepared along the respective lines of travel thereof to the filling stations; furnishing a flowing column of finely divided filling material suspended in moving air to the filling tubes of a pad at one filling station to supply that pad with filling material; diverting the flow of such filling material to the filling tubes of the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such filling material in suspension; and conducting the pads away from said filling stations after being filled.

10. The method of filling pads which consists in the provision of separate upper and lower lines of travel having spaced pad preparing and filling stations; introducing a plurality of filling tubes into each of the pads at the pad preparing stations and moving the pads thus prepared along the respective lines of travel thereof to the filling stations; furnishing a flowing column of finely divided filling material suspended in moving air to the filling tubes of a pad at one filling station to supply that pad with filling material; diverting the flow of such filling material to the filling tubes of the pad at the other filling station while maintaining such filling material in suspension; conducting the pads away from said filling stations after being filled; and inserting other filling tubes into an additional pad simultaneously with the filling of a pad into which filling tubes were previously inserted and later moving such additional pad along the respective line of travel thereof up to the filling station to be furnished with a filling material from the said flowing column of such material.

THOMAS L. McJOYNT. 

